Adolescents in India experience body dissatisfaction, however, empirically supported interventions are lacking. This paper describes the protocol for the development, acceptability testing, and cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a six-session comic-based intervention, which aims to improve body image and related outcomes among adolescents in semi-rural Indian schools. If found to be acceptable and effective, UNICEF will disseminate the intervention across schools in eight states of India. The acceptability study will be conducted with 24 students in Classes 6–8 (age 11–14) and nine teachers from Hindi-medium government schools using interviews and focus groups. The subsequent RCT will be conducted with 2400 students, with schools randomized to either the comic-based intervention or lessons-as-usual (control) groups. The primary outcome is body esteem, and secondary outcomes are disordered eating, appearance ideal internalization, body-image-related life disengagement, self-esteem, negative affect, and positive affect. Additional exploratory outcome measures are skin colour dissatisfaction, body hair dissatisfaction, appearance-based teasing, and endorsement of traditional gender roles. These outcomes will be examined at three timepoints: baseline (T1), 1 week-post-intervention (T2), and 12-weeks follow-up (T3). Analyses will compare outcomes in the intervention with the control group. This will be the first study to evaluate a body image intervention for adolescents in semi-rural Indian schools.

印度的青少年对身体感到不满，然而，缺乏经验支持的干预措施。本文描述了六次基于漫画的干预的开发、可接受性测试和集群随机对照试验 (RCT) 的协议，旨在改善印度半农村学校青少年的身体形象和相关结果。如果发现可以接受且有效，联合国儿童基金会将在印度八个州的学校中传播干预措施。可接受性研究将通过访谈和焦点小组对 6-8 班（11-14 岁）的 24 名学生和印地语公立学校的 9 名教师进行。随后的 RCT 将对 2400 名学生进行，学校随机分配到基于漫画的干预组或照常上课（对照组）。主要结果是身体自尊，次要结果是饮食失调、外表理想内化、与身体形象相关的生活脱离、自尊、消极情绪和积极情绪。其他探索性结果测量是肤色不满意、体毛不满意、基于外表的戏弄和对传统性别角色的认可。这些结果将在三个时间点进行检查：基线（T1 )、干预后 1 周 ( T2 ) 和 12 周随访 ( T3 )。分析将比较干预组与对照组的结果。这将是第一项评估印度半农村学校青少年身体形象干预的研究。